14. reproach among the nations--They whose idolatries Israel had adopted, instead of comforting, would only exult in their calamities brought on by those idolatries (compare [Lu 15:15]).
15. instruction--literally, "a corrective chastisement," that is, a striking example to warn all of the fatal consequences of sin. For "it shall be"; all ancient versions have "thou," which the connection favors.
16. arrows of famine--hail, rain, mice, locusts, mildew (see [De 32:23], ).
increase the famine--literally, "congregate" or "collect." When ye think your harvest safe because ye have escaped drought, mildew, &c., I will find other means [Calvin], which I will congregate as the forces of an invading army, to bring famine on you.
17. beasts--perhaps meaning destructive conquerors ([Da 7:4]). Rather, literal "beasts," which infest desolated regions such as Judea was to become (compare [Eze 34:28]; [Ex 23:29]; [De 32:24]; [2Ki 17:25]). The same threat is repeated in manifold forms to awaken the careless.
sword--civil war.
Chapter 6
Eze 6:1-14. Continuation of the Same Subject
2. mountains of Israel--that is, of Palestine in general. The mountains are addressed by personification; implying that the Israelites themselves are incurable and unworthy of any more appeals; so the prophet sent to Jeroboam did not deign to address the king, but addressed the altar ([1Ki 13:2]). The mountains are specified as being the scene of Jewish idolatries on "the high places" ([Eze 6:3]; [Le 26:30]).
3. rivers--literally, the "channels" of torrents. Rivers were often the scene and objects of idolatrous worship.
4. images--called so from a Hebrew root, "to wax hot," implying the mad ardor of Israel after idolatry [Calvin]. Others translate it, "sun images"; and so in [Eze 6:6] (see [2Ki 23:11]; [2Ch 34:4]; [Is 17:8], Margin).
cast your slain men before your idols--The foolish objects of their trust in the day of evil should witness their ruin.
5. carcasses ... before ... idols--polluting thus with the dead bones of you, the worshippers, the idols which seemed to you so sacrosanct.
6. your works--not gods, as you supposed, but the mere work of men's hands ([Is 40:18-20]).
7. ye shall know that I am the Lord--and not your idols, lords. Ye shall know Me as the all-powerful Punisher of sin.
8. Mitigation of the extreme severity of their punishment; still their life shall be a wretched one, and linked with exile ([Eze 5:2], ; ; ; [Jr 44:28]).
9. they that escape of you shall remember me--The object of God's chastisements shall at last be effected by working in them true contrition. This partially took place in the complete eradication of idolatry from the Jews ever since the Babylonian captivity. But they have yet to repent of their crowning sin, the crucifixion of Messiah; their full repentance is therefore future, after the ordeal of trials for many centuries, ending with that foretold in [Zec 10:9]; , ; [14:1-4], . "They shall remember me in far countries" ([Eze 7:16]; [De 30:1-8]).
I am broken with their whorish heart--Fairbairn translates, actively, "I will break" their whorish heart; English Version is better. In their exile they shall remember how long I bore with them, but was at last compelled to punish, after I was "broken" (My long-suffering wearied out) by their desperate ([Nu 15:39]) spiritual whorishness [Calvin], ([Psa 78:40]; [Is 7:13]; ; ).
loathe themselves--([Le 26:39-45]; [Job 42:6]). They shall not wait for men to condemn them but shall condemn themselves ([Eze 20:43]; ; [Job 42:6]; [1Co 11:31]).
11. Gesticulations vividly setting before the hearers the greatness of the calamity about to be inflicted. In indignation at the abominations of Israel extend thine hand towards Judea, as if about to "strike," and "stamp," shaking off the dust with thy foot, in token of how God shall "stretch out His hand upon them," and tread them down ([Eze 6:14]; [Eze 21:14]).
12. He that is far off--namely, from the foe; those who in a distant exile fear no evil.
he that remaineth--he that is left in the city; not carried away into captivity, nor having escaped into the country. Distinct from "he that is near," namely, those outside the city who are within reach of "the sword" of the foe, and so fall by it; not by "famine," as those left in the city.
14. Diblath--another form of Diblathaim, a city in Moab ([Nu 33:46]; [Jr 48:22]), near which, east and south of the Dead Sea, was the wilderness of Arabia-Deserta.
Chapter 7
Eze 7:1-27. Lamentation over the Coming Ruin of Israel; the Penitent Reformation of a Remnant; the Chain Symbolizing the Captivity
2. An end, the end--The indefinite "an" expresses the general fact of God bringing His long-suffering towards the whole of Judea to an end; "the," following, marks it as more definitely fixed ([Am 8:2]).
4. thine abominations--the punishment of thine abominations.
shall be in the midst of thee--shall be manifest to all. They and thou shall recognize the fact of thine abominations by thy punishment which shall everywhere befall thee, and that manifestly.
5. An evil, an only evil--a peculiar calamity such as was never before; unparalleled. The abruptness of the style and the repetitions express the agitation of the prophet's mind in foreseeing these calamities.
6. watcheth for thee--rather, "waketh for thee." It awakes up from its past slumber against thee ([Psa 78:65], ).
7. The morning--so Chaldean and Syriac versions (compare [Joe 2:2]). Ezekiel wishes to awaken them from their lethargy, whereby they were promising to themselves an uninterrupted night ([1Th 5:5-7]), as if they were never to be called to account [Calvin]. The expression, "morning," refers to the fact that this was the usual time for magistrates giving sentence against offenders (compare [Eze 7:10], below; [Psa 101:8]; [Jr 21:12]). Gesenius, less probably, translates, "the order of fate"; thy turn to be punished.
not the sounding again--not an empty echo, such as is produced by the reverberation of sounds in "the mountains," but a real cry of tumult is coming [Calvin]. Perhaps it alludes to the joyous cries of the grape-gatherers at vintage on the hills [Grotius], or of the idolaters in their dances on their festivals in honor of their false gods [Tirinus]. Havernick translates, "no brightness."
8-9. Repetition of [Eze 7:3], ; sadly expressive of accumulated woes by the monotonous sameness.
10. rod ... blossomed, pride ... budded--The "rod" is the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God's vengeance ([Is 10:5]; [Jr 51:20]). The rod sprouting (as the word ought to be translated), &c., implies that God does not move precipitately, but in successive steps. He as it were has planted the ministers of His vengeance, and leaves them to grow till all is ripe for executing His purpose. "Pride" refers to the insolence of the Babylonian conqueror ([Jr 50:31], ). The parallelism ("pride" answering to "rod") opposes Jerome's view, that "pride" refers to the Jews who despised God's threats; (also Calvin's, "though the rod grew in Chaldea, the root was with the Jews"). The "rod" cannot refer, as Grotius thought, to the tribe of Judah, for it evidently refers to the "smiteth" ([Eze 7:9]) as the instrument of smiting.
11. Violence (that is, the violent foe) is risen up as a rod of (that is, to punish the Jews') wickedness ([Zec 5:8]).
theirs--their possessions, or all that belongs to them, whether children or goods. Grotius translates from a different Hebrew root, "their nobles," literally, "their tumultuous trains" (Margin) which usually escorted the nobles. Thus "nobles" will form a contrast to the general "multitude."
neither ... wailing--([Jr 16:4-7; 25]:). Gesenius translates, "nor shall there be left any beauty among them." English Version is supported by the old Jewish interpreters. So general shall be the slaughter, none shall be left to mourn the dead.
12. let not ... buyer rejoice--because he has bought an estate at a bargain price.
nor ... seller mourn--because he has had to sell his land at a sacrifice through poverty. The Chaldeans will be masters of the land, so that neither shall the buyer have any good of his purchase, nor the seller any loss; nor shall the latter ([Eze 7:13]) return to his inheritance at the jubilee year (see [Le 25:13]). Spiritually this holds good now, seeing that "the time is short"; "they that rejoice should be as though they rejoiced not, and they that buy as though they possessed not": Paul ([1Co 7:30]) seems to allude to Ezekiel here. [Jr 32:15], 37, 43, seems to contradict Ezekiel here. But Ezekiel is speaking of the parents, and of the present; Jeremiah, of the children, and of the future. Jeremiah is addressing believers, that they should hope for a restoration; Ezekiel, the reprobate, who were excluded from hope of deliverance.
13. although they were yet alive--although they should live to the year of jubilee.
multitude thereof--namely, of the Jews.
which shall not return--answering to "the seller shall not return"; not only he, but the whole multitude, shall not return. Calvin omits "is" and "which": "the vision touching the whole multitude shall not return" void ([Is 55:11]).
neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life--No hardening of one's self in iniquity will avail against God's threat of punishment. Fairbairn translates, "no one by his iniquity shall invigorate his life"; referring to the jubilee, which was regarded as a revivification of the whole commonwealth, when, its disorders being rectified, the body politic sprang up again into renewed life. That for which God thus provided by the institution of the jubilee and which is now to cease through the nation's iniquity, let none think to bring about by his iniquity.
14. They have blown the trumpet--rather, "Blow the trumpet," or, "Let them blow the trumpet" to collect soldiers as they will, "to make all ready" for encountering the foe, it will be of no avail; none will have the courage to go to the battle (compare [Jr 6:1]), [Calvin].
15. No security should anywhere be found ([De 32:25]). Fulfilled ([La 1:20]); also at the Roman invasion ([Mt 24:16-18]).